Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Larry Kudlow: Americans Need Trump's Review of Foreign Workers

Larry Kudlow, the former economics adviser to President Ronald Reagan, said President Donald Trump is “on the right track” with an executive order to review how foreign workers are permitted to reside temporarily in the U.S.

The president on Tuesday ordered the review of the H-1B visa system, which critics say gets abused when companies to replace U.S. workers with lower-paid foreigners. Trump is targeting information-technology outsourcing companies that use the visas to hire low-paid, less-skilled workers.

“The question is: Are the Silicon Valley firms playing by the rules, or they are trying to undercut the specialized, American techie work force?” Kudlow said on cable channel CNBC. If there are abuses, then the system should be changed, Kudlow said.

Trump pledged during his campaign to use presidential authority to urge companies to “Buy American” products and “Hire American” workers. Kudlow was an economics adviser to the Trump campaign who helped to make tax cuts a central campaign promise.

Employers submitted 199,000 applications for the 85,000 H-1B visas available in the 2018 lottery, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The number of applications fell from 236,000 last year.

“He still wants tax reform and healthcare reform. Those are big issues for him.” the Newsmax Finance Insider said. “He’s been in 80 days, give him a chance,” said Kudlow, who advised the Trump campaign on economic issues.